Blue printing machine



June 7, 1932. K MURCK 1,861,607

BLUEPRINTING MAGHINE` Filed oct. 4, "195o chemicals and washes the Patented June 7, 1932 UNITED STATES KNUD MURCK, OF FOREST HILLS,

PATENT OFFICE NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 CHARLES BRUNING COM,- PAN Y, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK BLUE PRINTING MACHINE Application led October 4, 1930. Serial No. 486,309.

In a blue printing machine the prints are developed and washed by directing separate spaced jets of water against the print after it has been printed. The water dissolves the paper to develop the print, after which it is fixed and again washed and dried. Heretofore the washing means have been arranged in such a manner that the water runs over the paper for the purposes of washing and convenient disposal of the waste water. However, when prints with blue lines on white background are made this arrangement does not produce perfect prints because the water is directed against the paper in forceful separate spaced jets which, while they loosen the chemicals also carry the chemicals along and in contact with a the print thereby producing streaks on the paper so that it is practically impossible to obtain prints having a erfect whitebackground for the blue lines. In the industry it is said that the print bleeds. The present invention eliminates the first wash ofthe prints by the present means whereby the water runs with and on the paper as it travels through the machine and substitutes therefor an arrangement in which the paper is passed through a water bath containing running water and so arranged that as the paper passes through the water, the chemicals are floated olf or lifted up from the paper and carried away.

The invention is embodied in a water tank adapted to be mounted on a blue printing machine as an attachment thereto in place of the usual means for washing the prints by streams or jets of water. In the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of so much of a continuous blue printing ma over suitable guiding rolls 5, 5 and 6. 4 indicates a source of light for printing purposes. All of these parts are of usual or standard arrangement and construction. Heretofore it has been the practice to provide a washing unit in the form of a pipe having spaced openings near the roll 6 and arranged to direct jets of water against the paper to run down over and parallel with the paper on its run 7. The idea being that all the chemicals would have been washed awa-y from the paper when it reaches thebottom of the machine, after which the paper is run to and through the usual fixing unit 8 and thence upward past another similar Washin unit until it finally passes around a suitbe drying drum 10 and out of the machine. In the present instance however, there is provided a tank 12 mounted near the bottom of the machine and containing two guide rolls 13 and 14, omitted in Figure 2. The paper iplasses around these rolls and thence to the Xing unit 8. The numeral 17 denotes a supply water pipe provided with a plurality of very line openings 18 throughout its length whereby a constant supply of running water is provided for guide roll 13 brackets 21, while the guide roll 14 is similarly carried by swinging brackets 22 afford-- ing means for lifting the rolls and the ipe out of the tank for cleaning purposes an for convenience in.threading the paper through the machine.

The water fills the tray until it overiiows for which provision is made in the form of a spout 19 located at the side opposite to that in which the water supply pipe is located. The tank is of such. a depth that the paper is submerged in the water a substantial distance below nthe surface thereof and the spout is close to the top of the tank.

In operation the paper is threaded through the machine as shown and the water is turned on at 17 through a suitable flexible connection not shown untll the trayis Iilledand the wa'ter begins to iiow over through the spout 19. The machine is provided with an apron or tank 20 for carrying off the waste water. y The printed paper passes through the tank 12 in which the tank 12. The pipe 17 and may be mounted in swinging the chemicals of the paper are oated olf or lifted oi by the water and carried away to the spout and out. The direction ofthe flow ofwater while the paper is passin through it is along the lines indicated by t e arrows in Figure 2 and upwardly towards the spout. That is to say, by reason of the paper passing through the water and by reason of the steady running or bubbling supply of water coming from the pipe 17, the water in the tank is kept in constant gentle agitation and the chemicals are completely dissolved, lifted off from the paper and float away.

After having passed through the fixing unit 8 the paper is led upwards to the drying unit. On its upward run it is finally washed by water coming from a the pipe 17. That is to say, instead of throwing the water against the paper, as heretofore, the water emerges through the small holes 18 in rather tiny streams which overlap to form a running laterally unbroken sheet l side of the bath to the other side thereof and of water the width of the paper.

The pipe 9 is placed closely adjacent to the paper to preclude the water being thrown against it. A washing attachment as herein disclosed produces pure white backgrounds and eliminates streaks or bleeding.

I claim:

In a blue printing machine means fdl' developing the paper comprising a water bath through which the paper passes, water supplying means in said bath for producing a steady gentle flow of water therein parallel to and away from the paper from one a final washing unit comprising a water supply pipe mounted closely ad]acent to the path o f the paper and provided with a plurality of closely spaced fine water exit holes whereby to provide a practically laterally unbroken sheet of water running parallel to the paper in a direction opposite to the travel thereof. 4 A

KNUD MURCK.

pipe 9 similar to'- 

